7 June 2021

Sugar beet grow modestly

Sowing took place under good conditions this year. The soil was dry and had a good structure. The onset of rainfall around Easter led to a break in drilling in some countries, but this ended quickly. Almost all beet were drilled by the end of April, in Finland and Lithuania beet have been drilled in May, as usual due to the prevailing climate.

However, the emergence and juvenile development of the plants was delayed in all countries due to low temperatures, in some countries it was still snowing. Exceptional frost damage occurred only in Slovakia and about 1,700 hectares had to be resown.

In the meantime, plant protection measures are being carried out everywhere and increasing temperatures are promoting growth. Rainfall is still necessary as the subsoil is still too dry.

The trials within our “Smart Beet Initiative” have also been set up and the first measures have also been carried out there, e.g. band spraying or hoeing with the robot.